Colostomy belt



July 28, 1959 G. 'R. CANDIDO 2,896,624

COLOSTOMY j, BELT Filed June 25, 1956 8 MIA.

A ++onneg.

INVENTOR. Gaspahe R. Candfdo Y United States Patent COLOSTOMY BELT Gaspare Robert Candido, Loudonville, N.Y., assignor to National Surgical and Chemical Company, Inc., Albany, N.Y., a corporation of New York Application June 25, 1956, Serial No. 593,733 6 Claims. (Cl. 128-283).

The present invention relates to colostomy units and more particularly to a colostomy unit utilizing disposable bags which may be rapidly and easily secured to or detached from the unit.

The prior art colostomy units adapted to employ disposable bags and which are of particular interest with respect to the present invention, normally provide an annular member and an open-ended bag adapted to be passed through the central aperture of the annular member and folded outwardly over the circular edge thereof. In such. an arrangement, difliculty is experienced in properly positioning the folded over edges of the bag with respect to the annular member particularly with regard to obtaining equal overlap of the periphery of the bag so as to prevent the bag from slipping with respect to the annular member. Specifically, unless considerable care is practiced in placing the bag on the annular member a section of the periphery of the bag may be too close to the edge thereof and may slip oif during use.

In accordance with the present invention, a thin flat and flexible circular disc is employed having diametrically opposed rectangular extensions and a centrally located circular aperture. A flexible, open-ended bag is passed through the aperture in the disc and is folded over only those sections of the .disc subsisting between the rectangular extensions; the portions of the bag which are passed through the aperture and which are not folded over, lying along the flat surface of the disc. By pulling on the main portion of the bag, the periphery of the bag is drawn taut between the intersections of the projections and the circular edges of the disc thereby accurately positioning the bag and preventing slippage thereof with respect to the disc during use...

The rectangular extensions on -the disc provide a convenient surface for the location of fasteners for securing the disc to a body encircling belt inasmuch as the outer surfaces of the projections, that is, the surfaces not contacting the body, are not covered by the bag and therefore are readily accessible. The belt is adjusted to fit the body snugly, and since the disc is thin and flexible it conforms to the body of the wearer pressing the bag against both the body and the disc was to provide-a tight seal with the body. In consequence of the utilization of a flat flexible disc which conforms to the body of the wearer and a thin flexible bag which lies fla-t thereagainst, the colostomy unit of the present invention may be readily concealed beneath the clothing of the patient and does not hinder body movements. The tight seal provided between the body and the colostomy unit prevents the escape of offensive odors or body excretions.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a colostomy unit employing a disposable bag which may be rapidly and easily removably secured to the unit.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a colostomy unit employing a thin flat circular disc adapted to receive a disposable colostomy bag which disc conforms to the body of the wearer and consequently provides a tight seal between the unit and the body of the wearer.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a colostomy unit which may be readily apphed over a colostomy incision and which forms a tight seal between the body of the wearer and the units to prevent the escape of body excretions and oifensiveodors.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a colostomy unit employing a thin, flat and flexible circular disc, for receiving a disposable colostomy bag, which unit may be readily concealed beneath the clothing of the wearer and does not hinder bodily movement as a result of its flat and flexible construction.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a colostomy unit employing a circular disc having diametrically approved extensions to which may besecured elements of suitable fasteners for engaging the ends of a body encircling elastic belt.

The above and still further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of one specific embodiment thereof, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is an isometric view of the front of the device of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the colostomy unit of the present invention; and

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the colostomy unit.

. Referring specifically to Figs. 1-3 of the accompanying drawings, there is provided a thin flat circular disc 1 having two diametrically-opposed, generally rectangular extensions 2 and 3, the elongated dimension of the rectangular extensions 2 and 3 being perpendicular to the diameter of the disc 1 extending through the centers of the extensions. The extensions 2 and 3 are each provided with a pair of male elements 4 and 5 of a snap fastener adapted to cooperate with a pair of female elements 6 and 7 secured, respectively, to the two ends of an adjustable elastic belt 8, illustrated in Fig. 1 with its ends adjacent to, but spaced from the extensions 2 and3.

The disc 1 is fabricated from a light weight flexible plastic, such as nylon polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride,

etc., and is provided with a central circular aperture 9 of such a diameter as to encircle the colostomy incision of the patient. A disposable transparent and flexible bag 10 has its upper end, as viewed in Figs. 1 and 2, open and has a transverse or shorter dimension approximately equal to the distance between the outer side edges of the extensions 2 and 3. The bag 10 may be fabricated from a thin rectangular sheet of plastic material folded in half along its shorter dimension and heat sealed along the bottom and side edges.

The bag 10 is applied to the disc 1 by passing the-open end of the bag through the aperture 9 in the disc and folding back the edge ofthe disc, only over the portions of the rim of the disc 1 subsisting between the extensions 2 and 3. The portions of the bag 10 adjacent the extensions 2 and 3 are not folded over the disc but lie along the body-engaging surface of the disc.

The utilization of the extensions 2 and 3 on the disc 1 taken in conjunction with the fact that the horizontal dimensions as viewed in Fig. l of the bag 10 and disc 1 are approximately equal, provide a colostomy belt wherein the bag 10 may be rapidly and easily attached to and aligned on, or removed from the disc 1. The discontinuities of the curve of the disc 1 occurring at the intersection of the lateral edges of the extensions 2 and 3 and the circular edges of the disc 1 establish locations between which the portions of the bag 10 contacting the disc may be drawn taut thereby to position the bag with respect to the disc and to prevent the bag from slipping during use. In attaching the bag to the disc after the the bagltl is stretched betweenthe intersections of the upper surfaces of the extensions 2 and 3 with the upper circular edge of the disc; the lower overlapping portion of the bag is stretched between the intersections of the lower edges of the extensions 2 and 3 and the lower circular edge of the disc 1 and the left and right non-overlapping portions of the bag 10 are stretched between the intersections of the upper and lower edges of the extension 2 and the disc 1 and the upper and lower edges of the projection 2 and the disc 1 and the upper and lower edges of the extension 3 and the disc 1, respectively, all as viewed in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings. The tensioning of the edges of the bag 10 prevents slippage of the bag with respect to the disc and also facilitates an adequate seal between the two members.

After the bag 10 has been attached to the disc 1, one end of the belt 8 is secured to the disc 1 and the disc is placed against the body of the wearer with the colostomy incision positioned in the aperture 9. The belt is passed around the body of the wearer and the other end secured to the disc 1. The belt is adjusted to fit snuggly around the wearer and the disc 1, being thin and being fabricated from flexible material, conforms to the body providing a seal between the colostomy unit and the body of the patient.

The utilization of a flat disc shaped in accordance with the present invention provides a colostomy unit having several distinct advantages of the prior art devices. The extensions on the disc enable rapid application of and removal of the the bag from the disc while insuring that the bag will not slip during use of the unit and provides a convenient surface to which to secure the fasteners for attaching the body encircling belt to the disc. The thin flat configuration of the disc permits it to conform to the body of the wearer insuring a tight seal between the body and the unit and in conjunction with the flat bag provides a unit which may be readily concealed beneath the clothing. 7

Although the fasteners for securing the belt to the disc are illustrated as snap fasteners, it is within the scope of the present invention to employ other types of fasteners well known to the art. Also, the elastic belt may be replaced by other suitable forms of belts well known to the art.

While I have described and illustrated one specific embodiment of my invention, it will be clear that variations of the general arrangement and of the details of construction which are specifically illustrated and described may be resorted to without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

.1. A colostomy unit comprising a flexible disc having diametrically opposed extensions and a centrally located aperture, a flexible bag having an open end, said bag extending through the aperture in said disc and having portions of said bag adjacent its open end folded outwardly over the portions of the disc subsisting only between said extensions.

2. A colostomy bag comprising a flexible circular disc having diametrically opposed rectangular extensions and a centrally located circular aperture, a flexible bag having an open end, said bag extending through the aperture in said disc and having portions of said bag adjacent the open end thereof folded outwardly over the portions of said disc subsisting only between said extensions, a re silient belt and means attached to said extensions for 1 removably securing said belt to said disc.

configuration, said bag extending through the aperture in said disc and having portions of said bag adjacent the. open end thereof folded outwardly over the portions of said 'disc subsisting only between said extensions, said bag depending from said disc along its longerdimension and the shorter dimension of said bag being approximately. equal to the dimension of said disc taken across said extensions.

4. A colostomy bag comprising a flat circular disc hav-. ing first and second flat surfaces, a central aperture, and two diametrically-opposed outer peripheral extensions, a flexible bag having an open end, the open end of said bag extending through the aperture in said disc with the, portions of the bag adjacent said extensions lying along said first side of said disc and the portions of the bag disposed between said extensions being folded outwardly. over the edge of said disc and engaging said second side. of said disc.

5. In a colostomy unit including a flat disc, a fiat flexible bag having an open end, said bag cooperating with such disc and having portions thereof adjacent its open end passing through an aperture in the disc and folded outwardly over portions of'the disc subsisting between extensions therefrom.

6. For use with a disc in a colostomy unit, a flat flexible bag having an open end, said bag cooperating with said disc having portions thereof adjacent the open end extending through an aperture in such disc, and being folded outwardly over portions of such disc subsisting between opposed extensions therefrom, said portions of said bag being of such a size that they are taut when folded over the disc.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,581,319 Baxter Ian. 1, 1952 2,593,211 Smith Apr. 15, 1952 2,746,456

DeCamillis May 22, 1956.

OTHER REFERENCES has 

